Drug Use Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Graders

The percentages below, from NIDA's 1994 Monitoring the Future study, track illicit drug use over the last 3 years among adolescents nationwide. Each year since 1975, when the study was first undertaken, the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research has surveyed a representative sample of America's 12th graders; 8th and 10th graders were surveyed for the first time in 1991. For highlights, see Marijuana, Other Drug Use Among Teens Continues to Rise

8th Graders

10th Graders

12th Graders

1992

1993

1994

1992

1993

1994

1992

1993

1994

MARIJUANA/HASHISH

lifetime

11.2

12.6

16.7

21.4

24.4

30.4

32.6

35.3

38.2

annual

7.2

9.2

13.0

15.2

19.2

25.2

21.9

26.0

30.7

30-day

3.7

5.1

7.8

8.1

10.9

15.8

11.9

15.5

19.0

daily

0.2

0.4

0.7

0.8

1.0

2.2

1.9

2.4

3.6

INHALANTS

lifetime

17.4

19.4

19.9

16.6

17.5

18.0

16.6

17.4

17.7

annual

9.5

11.0

11.7

7.5

8.4

9.1

6.2

7.0

7.7

30-day

4.7

5.4

5.6

2.7

3.3

3.6

2.3

2.5

2.7

daily

0.3

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

HALLUCINOGENS

lifetime

3.8

3.9

4.3

6.4

6.8

8.1

9.2

10.9

11.4

annual

2.5

2.6

2.7

4.3

4.7

5.8

5.9

7.4

7.6

30-day

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.8

1.9

2.4

2.1

2.7

3.1

daily

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

COCAINE

lifetime

2.9

2.9

3.6

3.3

3.6

4.3

6.1

6.1

5.9

annual

1.5

1.7

2.1

1.9

2.1

2.8

3.1

3.3

3.6

30-day

0.7

0.7

1.0

0.7

0.9

1.2

1.3

1.3

1.5

daily

*

0.1

0.1

*

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

CRACK COCAINE

lifetime

1.6

1.7

2.4

1.5

1.8

2.1

2.6

2.6

3.0

annual

0.9

1.0

1.3

0.9

1.1

1.4

1.5

1.5

1.9

30-day

0.5

0.4

0.7

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.8

daily

*

0.1

*

*

*

*

0.1

0.1

0.1

HEROIN

lifetime

1.4

1.4

2.0

1.2

1.3

1.5

1.2

1.1

1.2

annual

0.7

0.7

1.2

0.6

0.7

0.9

0.6

0.5

0.6

30-day

0.4

0.4

0.6

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.3

daily

*

*

0.1

*

*

*

*

*

*

STIMULANTS

lifetime

10.8

11.8

12.3

13.1

14.9

15.1

13.9

15.1

15.7

annual

6.5

7.2

7.9

8.2

9.6

10.2

7.1

8.4

9.4

30-day

3.3

3.6

3.6

3.6

4.3

4.5

2.8

3.7

4.0

daily

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.2

ALCOHOL

lifetime

69.3

67.1

55.8**

82.3

80.8

71.1**

87.5

87.0

80.4**

annual

53.7

51.6

46.8**

70.2

69.3

63.9**

76.8

76.0

73.0**

30-day

26.1

26.2

25.5**

39.9

41.5

39.2**

51.3

51.0

50.1**

daily

0.6

0.8

1.0**

1.2

1.6

1.7**

3.4

2.5

2.9**

CIGARETTES (ANY USE)

lifetime

45.2

45.3

46.1

53.5

56.3

56.9

61.8

61.9

62.0

annual

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

30-day

15.5

16.7

18.6

21.5

24.7

25.4

27.8

29.9

31.2

1/2 pack + per day

2.9

3.5

3.6

6.0

7.0

7.6

10.0

10.9

11.2

STEROIDS

lifetime

1.7

1.6

2.0

1.7

1.7

1.8

2.1

2.0

2.4

annual

1.1

0.9

1.2

1.1

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.2

1.3

30-day

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.5

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.9

daily

*

0.1

*

*

*

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.4

* Indicates less than 0.05 percent.
** In 1994, the question text was changed slightly to indicate that a "drink" meant "more than a few sips." Because the new wording requires heavier use to elicit a positive response, it suggests that alcohol use declined from 1993 to 1994. Use actually remained approximately the same.